RSF launches arrest campaign at Darfur tribal leader hometown: residents

November 28, 2017 (EL-FASHER) – A number of residents said the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has carried out a large arrest campaign against youth and men at Mistiriyha, headquarters of the detained tribal leader Musa Hilal in North Darfur.

Following heavy clashes between the government militia RSF and his Border Guards Forces (BGF) at Mistiriyha Sunday, Hilal and two of his sons along with several of his aides were arrested and transferred to Khartoum.

A resident by the name of Ali Abu Bakr, who fled the bloody clashes, told Sudan Tribune Tuesday the SRF on Monday launched a wide arrest campaign against men and youth in areas around Mistiriyha.

“The situation is very bad in Mistiriyha … the RSF detained all men and the majority of the residents including women and children have been displaced … they fled towards the mountains without water or food … and he who goes to Mistiriyha to bring water will be detained and we have yet to count the number of the dead and lost,” he said.

Also, one of the local notables who spoke to Sudan Tribune on the condition of anonymity from Kabkabiya area described the situation in Mistiriyha as “tragic”.

He stressed the residents were subjected to improper treatment, saying the RSF launched a campaign targeting the local notables after the arrest of Hilal.
“So we preferred to stay away from the area,” he said.

“Today, the RSF second commander, Major General Abdel- Rahim Hamdan Daglo, arrived in Mistiriyha and some residents came out to greet him but unfortunately his militiamen prevented the residents and arrested them,” he added.

Meanwhile, some reports from Mistiriyha indicated the RSF has cordoned off the area and prevented the residents from burying the dead, saying some of the bodies began to decompose in the open.

For his part, the deputy governor of North Darfur state Mohamed Biraima Hasab al-Nabi has denied claims about the killing of women and children in Mistiriyha.

In statements on Tuesday, Hasab al-Nabi said Hilal was captured without violence, saying the RSF has acted professionally during the clashes.

He said the RSF fighters were violently resisted in Mistiriyha while they were pursuing the outlaws, saying 9 SRF militiamen have been killed besides two residents.

It is noteworthy that the RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (aka Hemitte) told the S24 TV on Monday that 13 of his men were killed and 35 others injured during the clashes.

He also denied his militiamen have killed women and children in Mistiriyha, saying 6 BGF fighters were killed but he didn’t rule out the actual number might be more than that.

(ST)